Early in 2014 I along with 4 other bartenders authored a recipe for broVo Spirits to produce 4 locally made vermouth, using Washington made wine, and they were just recently released back in September. While mine is aptly named "Pink" for a rosé style, the others include “Witty” (dry white), “Pretty” (floral white) and “Jammy” (sweet red) all the brain children of Jon Christiansen, Amanda Reed & George Engelstad, and JP Vidican respectively, some of Seattle’s best craft bartenders. It was a wonderful experience, and the second time I have had the chance to create an original recipe for an award-winning small batch distillery. To make things even more rewarding, the Beverage Tasting Institute just awarded my particular vermouth a Gold Medal and a rating of 93 points, an honor that apparently only about 8% or so products receive!

What started out as a fun experiment with a style of vermouth that fairly uncommon in the category has turned into a nationally sold aperitif that is starting to garner some notice and minor prestige. The vermouth itself is made from combining rosé wine sourced from the Wahluke Slope region in Washington, and infuse it with quality ingredients such as dried orange peel, hibiscus, grains of paradise, rose geranium and sage, then sweetened with agave syrup and fortified with neutral grain spirit. The resulting vermouth boasts notes of orange, pomegranate, pink peppercorn and grassy herbs with a beautifully bright flavor profile with hints of warm spice, cranberries, fresh herbs and balanced sweetness. Perfect for mixing with many different base spirits and citrus ingredients, or for simply enjoying neat as any quality vermouth is meant to be. Just be sure to do so well chilled with this one.

If you’re in the mood for a refreshing tipple, I find that it mixes quite nicely with gin and whiskey, especially rye, as the flavors compliment the juniper, citrus and herbs in a quality made gin yet meld with the vanilla, oak and spice notes found in barrel aged spirits such as whiskey. Both gin and whiskey are no strangers to vermouth, and this one plays quite nice with both without sacrificing its individuality. For more information and where to purchase (Binny’s is a good online source) these limited series of handcrafted, small batch vermouth, you can visit the broVo website or head over to Alcademics and see Camper English give a very informative blurb on the products. For now, I will leave you with one of my first, and favorite cocktails inspired by my “Pink”. Cheers.

Malicious Mischief

1 3/4 oz Rittenhouse 100 Rye

3/4 oz broVo “Pink” Rosé Vermouth

1/2 oz Gran Classico

1 dash Scrappy’s Lavender Bitters

Lemon Peel for Garnish

Combine ingredients over ice, stir and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with expressed lemon peel and enjoy.